Will Going Gluten Free Make Me Lose Weight?

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It's almost comical, when someone discovers I am gluten bigot, one of the first questions I get (after a normal dose of sympathy of course) is "How much weight have you lost since going gluten free?"

There is a number to my pre-gluten free life vs current life. Growing up I was always underweight. Once I turned 20 my weight went up a bit, but my health seriously declined. When I returned from to Canada from Ireland, my weight spiked, and going gluten free I returned basically to my normal weight (about 20-25lbs lost).

This way of eating forced on some has become a diet fad embraced by what seems to be many. But will it should you do it to lose weight?

I am not a medical doctor/professional/nutritionist/etc. But in my opinion, if you are just eliminating gluten containing foods and replacing them with high-fiber vitamin rich foods and still including grains (i.e. just eating really clean and healthy) I personally do not see issue with it. But you do need to understand the challenges of it (this article and this one). You will out on easily getting the good nutrients you need (fiber is a big one, vitamin b another one). 

If you are swapping gluten containing junk food for gluten free junk food, you may find you are worse off. Gluten free products contain high levels of added fat and sugar (to make them not completely disgusting). 

If you are choosing the diet with the hopes of losing weight I would strongly encourage you to consult with your doctor. For those who are not required to eat gluten free, from what I have read (again, not a professional) there is not any value in eating gluten free. 

That said, I have met people who just feel better eating gluten free. Or they choose it as a method of clean eating and are diligent about replacing nutrients. I personally take multivitamins because I am so seriously lacking in some. While I am happy on my gluten free diet as it allows me to feel like a normal person I certainly would not wish it on any others, and while I fully support your decision to be gluten free, I would encourage you to fully consider the work, cost and benefit you will get from committing to a gluten free diet.

Gluten Free Prague

The final stop on our holiday was to Prague, a place I had wanted to visit for much longer than I admit as it clearly ages me. As excited as I was to visit Prague, I was warned I may not have the easiest time eating gluten free there.

As I had bought food along the way, I knew I at least had some things to eat (I deliberately bought some cakes in Paris which I earmarked for Prague breakfasts). So, the evening of our arrival we went into Billa, a local grocery store, and were happy to find many Schar products. I bought gluten free rolls, cheese, bananas and juice to have for breakfast and some granola bars to keep in my bag (as well as some interesting teas like Banana Cinnamon and Pear & Caramel). 

I was able to get by eating salads and fries for lunches, as well the bars came in handy. Gluten free was certainly not impossible and there are couple of places of note that I ate at thought that I did want to share - and one in particular as I ended up there every day.

First, Pizza Colusseum. This is a chain I had starred on my Google map as they had gluten free pasta. I imagined it as a fast food / takeaway for some reason, and so had my husband, however when we went there for lunch one day, it was actually a restaurant. I would equate it to Olive Garden. I had spaghetti and creme brulee so I was happy enough, but I did find the food to be mediocre. Certainly convenient though, and the service was decent.

The next day we decided to just pick a place that was convenient and had maybe salads for lunch, and we ended up at a placed we had walked by the day prior and though was cute in a gimmicky kind of way, Kolonial. They had multiple salad options, and the one I had was good and very satisfying.

I was so excited to drink that beer!

The real place d'resistance though, was Na zlaté křižovatce. This restaurant is 100% gluten free and offer proper Czech dishes. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to be able to have goulash (which I had never tried before), schnitzel, dumplings, apple strudel and dessert pancakes (crepes). Scroll down for pictures of everything I ate. I am a massive fan of goulash now, and their spinach soup was so incredible I decided I am going to have to attempt to duplicate it at home. Oh - and did I mention they have gluten free beer on tap? Yes, you can have a nice pint (350mL or 500mL, your choice) of Celiac. So happy. A complete must eat in Prague!

Port schnitzel with some of the best potatoes I have ever had.

My favorite dessert - chocolate pancake

Goulash

Apple Strudel

Homemade gluten free bread.... amazing!

Goulash with dumplings!

One last thing I picked up was some candies at a chocolate store by Old Town Square. We asked and were advised the ingredients were water and sugar... do delicious!

Prague was such an amazing place - I am so glad that despite the fear of easy food options we went. The food I had was amazing and the city was storybook beautiful.

Have you been to Prague? Do you have any tips there?

Gluten Free Paris - Pastries!

Welcome to Part Deux of my Gluten Free Paris posts! If you didnt read it already, yesterday I wrote about gluten free dining in Paris. Today I wanted to write about my favorite part - the pastries!

The obvious thing to have in Paris when it comes to sweet are creme brulee, meringues and creme brulee. Luckily these things all have no gluten ingredients so they are easy to find gluten free! 

I had macarons from two different places. The first place I went was Laduree (pictured above). The macaron flavors were to die for and the macarons themselves were heaven. My favorites were the salted caramel and the Marie Antionette. Just because they were so amazing, I will post some more photos below. Laduree shoppes can be found throughout Paris - and there is also a location in Manhattan :)

I also had a macaron at Pierre Herme, which is close to the flagship Chanel store on Rue Cambon. To switch it up here we had the giant macarons. I had a chocolate one which was completely to die for, however it was a lot of macaron for one person - and this is coming from a person with a wicked sweet tooth. Nonetheless divine though and I high recommend them. 

I enjoyed creme brulee multiple times, often deliberately choosing restaurants which offered it. However, I did not actually have a meringue in Paris (probably because I had already enjoyed them in Venice. I also missed out on going to Helmut Newcake, which is a gluten free bakery that has gluten free eclairs due to their open hours vs. the days I was there. I will have to go back. 

However, I did not miss out on buying some gluten free treats to bring home/eat along the way! I went into a Monoprix across from my hotel and stocked up on cakes, baguettes, etc. Everything I have had so far has been great. All items were from one brand, Gerble. I certainly recommend picking up a few of these if you are in Paris!

I am really excited to make french onion soup with the baguettes!

Do you have any favorite Parisian treats or spots I missed out on?

Gluten Free Paris

After four amazing days in Venice, our next stop was Paris. I was a bit nervous about eating in Paris, especially since I still remember how nice the baguettes were from my first trip there back in my gluten eating days, but that nervousness was calmed by the fact my husband speaks French (at least enough Quebecois French to get by). 

I was pleasantly surprised to find how gluten free friendly Paris was. Most restuarant staff members knew 'sans gluten' and allergy to gluten and was very accomodating. There are many amazing places to eat in Paris, but I though I would share my highlights.

Our first meal was after a late arrival, and was at Le Saint Germain. We simply had wine and fries - it seemed like the best idea when we arrived thirsty and a bit hungry. We also came back for our last breakfast (where I had an omelet which was quite good).

Another great breakfast spot we found was the Café de l'Esplanade. A bit of a pricier option, it is open Sunday morning (win), and the food was fantastic. Here I had an omelette with bacon and a cappuccino - both were fantastic. It's location is great if you are visiting the Palacio e Iglesia de los Invalidos or Napolean's Tomb.

One great dinner spot is Le Pré Aux Clercs. The food was amazing - I did have the filet and got to have fries (yay) and creme brulee. 

Another places which would be great for dinner or lunch (I had lunch there) was Noglu. It is a 100% gluten free restaurant, and the food was indescribably good. I had the club sandwhich and my husband and I shared two desserts (an apple tart a chocolate cake type thing. I only wish I had gotten to eat here more than once. It was close to the department stores, Royal Palace and the Opera.

Also, I was very excited to eat crepes, or rather galettes, in Paris. We went to L'ile O'Crepes after visiting the catacombs and I enjoyed both a sweet and savory (just have them make the sweet crepe using the galette. It was probably the meal I was happiest eating. They were very good. 

And of course, no trip to Paris would be complete without crepes... but I am going to save that for tomorrow's post, as well as my recap of gluten free groceries (most treats) in Paris! 

Have you been to Paris? Did you have luck navigating the city gluten free?

Gluten Free Venice - Dining

Venice was everything I hoped for in Italy. Everyone knew celiac/gluten free was. Although I would not describe eating out as the simplest thing still, navigating Venice gluten free was also not incredible challenging.

Breakfast each morning was enjoyed at my hotel, the Palazzo Paruta. They offered gluten free madeleines each day, as well as crackers, cookies and rice cakes. I did email ahead to let them know about my requirements, and I know they went out of their way as on the last day they had actually run out and it was clear one of the staff members ran out to get me gluten free food - it was very appreciated. The hotel was lovely and I highly recommend it for the service, location and accommodation for gluten free travelers.

Lunch my first day was at Osteria Antico Dolo. I had spaghetti which was quite nice, although the service was a bit slow (note: this is coming from a New Yorker). As we were leaving we noticed a photo of of a celeb who had eaten there previously - Hugh Hefner.  Also in the photo was Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson for anyone else who enjoyed the program The Girls Next Door (guess I just came out of the closet on that one). 

Next we went to Ostaria All'Ombra, which we actually went to twice. I was quite excited to have pizza, but on my first visit also saw tortellini and could not decide which to get, so I talked my husband into sharing both. The gluten free beer was good, the pizza was one of the best I've had, and the tortellini was quite nice as well. Most excitingly they had gluten free tiramisu. It was decent tiramisu, unfortunately the one I was served was still a bit frozen. But nonetheless, this place was great and the location is very central for touring around Venice. For food pictures, scroll down.

That bring me to my next stop, another place we actually went to twice, Risto Bar. I found this by accident one day, and was referred a couple days later by the owner of Mea Libera Tutti. The service here was great and as was the food. I enjoyed both a torte and a lasanga here (more photos below). A must have here is the profiteroles - they were absolutely to die for. I was so glad I had them, and slightly disappointed I was sharing with my husband. 

We enjoyed one meal at a restaurant close to our hotel as it was raining one evening during our visit. We went to Trattoria da Fiore and were told that they could accommodate gluten free although they did not have a menu. They did easily (including no fish), and I had was able to enjoy steak with delicious vegetables and panna cotta with fruit afterwards. Completely divine. Service was excellent here, and it was a lovely spot for dinner. Despite the presence of a gluten free menu, this is certainly a spot to bookmark.

Last in terms of meals, we decided to have a nice dinner for our last night, so we went to one of the places referred in Mea Libera Tutti, La Vecia Cavana. Here  enjoyed gluten free bread (*squeal*), gf breadsticks, prosciutto and mozarella, tortellini (I really love tortellini), and some nice treats they provided with the bill. Service was impeccable and the food was amazing - and a place that you simply must visit for the vast gluten free menu and proper Venetian food offerings.

In relation for gluten free treats two places to highlight in Venice: For Gelato, Grom. Amazing gelato and gluten free (except for flavors noted on a sign which is in clear display). Also, you will find meringues which have no gluten ingredients. Bakery shops will warn you they are not made on dedicated gluten free machinery, however I admittedly changed it to enjoy these and was fine - if you are a risk taker these are a must eat in Venice! 

Have you visited Venice? Where did you eat?

Osteria All'Ombra pizza

Osteria All'Ombra tortellini

Osteria All'Ombra tiramisu

Risto Bar Spinach Torte (so yummy!)

Risto Bar gluten free menu

La Vecia Cavana bread & bellinis

La Vecia Cavana prosciutto and mozzarella

Risto Bar lasagna

Risto Bar profiteroles

Trattoria de Fiore steak and vegetables (amazing)

Trattoria de Fiore panna cotta

Some cookies I bought in the Supermarket

Yum!

My hubby and I at Risto Bar

Gluten Free Venice - The Best Place First!

The owner and I - she is absolutely lovely.

Doing my pre-travel gluten free research, Mea Libera Tutti, kept coming up. I starred it as it promised gluten free treats I knew I would not otherwise have in Italy.

After I went on my third day, I wish I had made it my first stop. Mea Libera Tutti is a 100% gluten free store - that's right you can eat anything in there. And not only will you get delicious treats and some food to bring home with you, you will also be advised on the best gluten free restaurants to eat in. The owner told us about how she offers a few training program for restaurants so they can learn how to properly prepare gluten free food, and she inspects subsequently once every three months. Those restaurants she certifies she will tell you about, but we'll get to those in my next post.

We went on a rainy day which I later found out they were not usually open, but lucky for me they were. I was first excited to see the treat section. If I was not flying with Easy Jet and didn't have weight restrictions I probably would have bought one of each. This was easily the most exciting moment in the store. I was literally like a 5 year old on Christmas morning. 

On the opposite side of the aisle you'll find bread products. I couldn't resist the foccacia, which I ended up eating half of when I was in a stitch a few days later in Paris.

Next we wanted into the past and cracker area, which is tucked into the back corner of the store. I was thrilled to find gnocchi and bowtie pasta (the only kind my husband has ever cooked for me). I bought three packages but once again could have bought one of each. 

Now, the next section I was disappointed to not get to buy anything from - the baking section. It was literally a baker's dream. I could have made the loveliest cakes and more darling cupcakes with what was in store. Sadly, I did not get to buy any of these delights as my basket (and suitcase) was already full.


The owner is such a darling. When she was ringing us up I asked to take photos (I was really excited) and she allowed me, and chatted with my husband and I. She told us all about each product we were buying, which was impressive. She recommended where we could go for lunch that day, a fantastic restaurant for dinner (which had not been listed on any of my internet searching), and a few others. For each she either gave us business cards or wrote the names down. She even posed for a photo with me in front when we left. Even if you're not a major food shopper when travelling, you should check out the store if only for her advise (and to save yourself the waste of $30 for a gluten free Venice guide in book form which lists restaurants that boil their gluten free pasta in the same pot as all their other pasta). As I mentioned about the owner certifies restaurants and will tell you where is safe and good to eat.

I wish I had been able to buy more in her store, my gluten free haul is pictured below. I have had the cakes I bought, I enjoyed those with afternoon tea at my hotel. The pastas will be eaten soon.

I will warn the store is not easy to find when you're not oriented to the nooks and crannies of Venice, but Google Maps is showing it in the right place. You may also want to like the page on facebook as it lists the actual address as well. Just make sure to make it your first stop in Venice!